use "move face" in a configuration.

steven_van_luchene848

Hi 

I'm trying to build a parametric model using some parts out of a static imported file.
Using "move face" feature to change the length and position of features of a part. 
However the command doesn't seem to take negative values. 
Is there a workaround or any custom features that will allow this? 

thanks. 

MichaelPascoe

I think I see where the confusion may be. The title mentions configurations, but your picture shows a variable table. These are two different things. Configurations can be a configuration list, configuration variable, and a configuration check box.

In this case, the work around we discovered would still probably be the best option if you stay with move face.

Note that there are a few different ways to create variables:

• Standard variables with the variable feature in the tree
• Variable studio
• Configuration variable

You can mix and match them so that they modify each other as well.

If you are using a configuration list, the opposite direction should configure smoothly. However, it isn't best practice to make a large configuration table when you can simply make a single configuration variable that can be easily changed.

EvanReese

This exact issue actually came up in this thread, and I made a modified version of Move Face that accepts negative values, which you can get here.

MichaelPascoe

I'm not sure why this is the case for this feature, but it is how Onshape coded it. What you could do is keep the number positive, but configure the opposite direction button just to the right when you want it to be "negative".

Alternatively, you could move the face a very far distance to the right. Then, using a variable, calculate the difference and use a separate move face to be configured. This way the move face is always moving in one direction.

steven_van_luchene848

Hi Michael, 

Thanks for the quick reply. 
apparently the opposite direction button cant be configured. and even so, I would need some kind of if statement and boolean variable, which to my knowledge do not exist? If you have a solution for this, this would be very handy in a lot of cases. I read something on featurescript lambsa functions that can be use in variable, but haven't found any resources on this subject... 

Anyway, using 2 seperate move operations, always keeping the move operation variable a positive number, was indeed the other workaround I considered. 

Thanks! 

 

MichaelPascoe

I think I see where the confusion may be. The title mentions configurations, but your picture shows a variable table. These are two different things. Configurations can be a configuration list, configuration variable, and a configuration check box.

In this case, the work around we discovered would still probably be the best option if you stay with move face.

Note that there are a few different ways to create variables:

• Standard variables with the variable feature in the tree
• Variable studio
• Configuration variable

You can mix and match them so that they modify each other as well.

If you are using a configuration list, the opposite direction should configure smoothly. However, it isn't best practice to make a large configuration table when you can simply make a single configuration variable that can be easily changed.

EvanReese

This exact issue actually came up in this thread, and I made a modified version of Move Face that accepts negative values, which you can get here.

steven_van_luchene848

MichaelPascoe said:

I think I see where the confusion may be. The title mentions configurations, but your picture shows a variable table. These are two different things. Configurations can be a configuration list, configuration variable, and a configuration check box.

In this case, the work around we discovered would still probably be the best option if you stay with move face.

Note that there are a few different ways to create variables:

• Standard variables with the variable feature in the tree
• Variable studio
• Configuration variable

You can mix and match them so that they modify each other as well.

If you are using a configuration list, the opposite direction should configure smoothly. However, it isn't best practice to make a large configuration table when you can simply make a single configuration variable that can be easily changed.

There is a configuration variable driving the "desiredLength" variable in my local variables list. (which wasn't on the screenshot shared above) 
That configuration variable itself is driven bij assembly configurations further up the assembly structure. It's an interesting idea explained above, but I don't see how I could get this to work in my particular design, the "opposite direction" checkbox value should be dependent on wether or not the calculated "displacement" variable value is negative or not.  I can share with you If you are interested (or like puzzles like this ;-) )
Anyway, this has been very insightfull. Thank you for taking the time to explain so clear. 
 

steven_van_luchene848

@Evan_Reese @MichaelPascoe thanks for the swift and thorough reply. Much appreciated. 

Regards, 
Steven 

 

steven_van_luchene848

MichaelPascoe said:

I think I see where the confusion may be. The title mentions configurations, but your picture shows a variable table. These are two different things. Configurations can be a configuration list, configuration variable, and a configuration check box.

In this case, the work around we discovered would still probably be the best option if you stay with move face.

Note that there are a few different ways to create variables:

• Standard variables with the variable feature in the tree
• Variable studio
• Configuration variable

You can mix and match them so that they modify each other as well.

If you are using a configuration list, the opposite direction should configure smoothly. However, it isn't best practice to make a large configuration table when you can simply make a single configuration variable that can be easily changed.

There is a configuration variable driving the "desiredLength" variable in my local variables list. (which wasn't on the screenshot shared above) 
That configuration variable itself is driven bij assembly configurations further up the assembly structure. It's an interesting idea explained above, but I don't see how I could get this to work in my particular design, the "opposite direction" checkbox value should be dependent on wether or not the calculated "displacement" variable value is negative or not.  I can share with you If you are interested (or like puzzles like this ;-) )
Anyway, this has been very insightfull. Thank you for taking the time to explain so clear. 
 

MichaelPascoe

Share away, we like helping people and puzzles. Instead of using that check box variable, you could do something like this so that if the displacement is negative, the variable A is returned, and if the displacement is positive, variable B is returned.

displacement   <   0   ?   variableA   :   variableB

steven_van_luchene848

indeed those ternary operators you told me about in another thread. ;-)
Hadn't connected the dots yet. 🤦‍♂️
i'll look into it. 
Thanks!